YOU wouldn't get many of Rose Zimny's tomatoes to the pound! In fact, you wouldn't even get one!

For Rose Zimny's giant tomatoes are so big, the largest weighs in at around a pound and a half. That's the the same as three bags of sugar.

Prize-winning gardener Rose, from Frenchwood Street, has been growing the whopping vegetables for around nine years, and has won prizes in the annual Preston allotment competition.

She says the secret to growing her huge vegetables has been to give them plenty of attention on her Frenchwood allotment.

She said: "I start growing my vegetables around the third week in January, and by July they are pretty big.

"You have to be dedicated, and have a lot of patience. I go to my allotment two or three times a day. I get dirty, backache, and have to deal with rabbits, who are a little nuisance! But I love gardening."

Paul Lampkin, Preston Borough Council allotment officer, praised Rose's efforts. He said: "I've seen the tomatoes, they are enormous, around 10 times bigger than those in supermarkets. It's good to see people grow these giant vegetables, there's a lot more to it than people think."